Hey, You! The importance of pragmatics in localizations of 'Mass Effect' in French and Spanish

Stainton, Alexander, Roberts, Seán G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5990-9161 and Rennick, Stephanie 2023. Hey, You! The importance of pragmatics in localizations of 'Mass Effect' in French and Spanish. Games and Culture 10.1177/15554120231218046

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Abstract

The localization of video game dialog for diverse audiences is challenging because of differences in linguistic features between languages and pragmatic norms between cultures. For example, localizers must decide how to translate the English second-person singular pronoun “you” into languages that have a pragmatic distinction between formal and informal pronouns (e.g., “vous” and “tu” in French). These distinctions are used in social interaction to signal politeness, respect, and social distance, which are important elements that shape player experience in role-playing games. We analyze the dialog from French and Spanish localizations of Mass Effect and show they have strikingly different strategies for translating pronouns. French mostly uses formal pronouns while Spanish mostly uses informal pronouns. We explain how these differences affect player experience and argue that effective localization requires a clear strategy for dealing with pragmatics. We conclude by making practical suggestions for how game creators can better support localization.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	1555-4120
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 January 2024
Date of Acceptance:	16 November 2023
Last Modified:	12 Feb 2024 13:43
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/165399

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